The first light of dawn had barely begun to pierce the horizon when Gaël and Kaëlan reached the fortifications of Kernéval. Towering granite walls loomed before them, imposing, almost menacing. These ramparts, taller than the oldest oaks, were as thick as the city's houses. It was easy to feel small, vulnerable beneath their shadow.
Gaël lifted his gaze, searching for the rope they had used to sneak out just hours earlier. Nothing. The rope was gone.
"You've got to be kidding me… It's not there anymore! Are you sure you tied it properly?" he exclaimed, turning an accusatory glare toward Kaëlan.
"As sure as I see you right now! I used a sailor's knot, just like old Bertoc taught me. There's nothing better, I swear!"
Gaël gritted his teeth, scanning the darkness once more.
"Well, knot or not, it's gone. And if we get caught, we're in serious trouble!"
Kaëlan crossed his arms, looking miffed.
"I knew it! Always your crazy ideas… Why were you so insistent on giving that offering to that guy? You don't even know him! You just heard he was looking for stained ones. What if he just wants to skin you alive?"
Gaël locked eyes with his friend, his brows furrowing.
"No, he doesn't want to kill me. He's a Swordbrother. I'm sure of it."
"People say all sorts of crazy things about those guys… just like they do about everything else. I bet it's all nonsense!"
Gaël didn't flinch.
"I believe in them, and that man… he's one of them. And to speak with them, you need an offering. It's just common courtesy. And if it turns out to be nothing? At least I tried. Besides, no one refuses something like this, it has value."
Kaëlan's eyes widened, half amused, half exasperated.
"Unicorn-stag eyes? You really think he doesn't already have a collection of those? If he's really a Swordbrother, he probably slices through half a dozen Infested before breakfast!"
"Oh? And you had a better idea, perhaps?" Gaël shot back, squinting through the drizzle as the rain trickled down his face.
Kaëlan let out a dry chuckle.
"Yeah, the one where we stay nice and warm in our beds! How's that for an idea?"
They exchanged glances, their faces marked by exhaustion, frustration evident in their eyes. Then, slowly, a smile crept onto Gaël's lips.
Unable to resist his friend's grin, Kaëlan smirked as well.
"Not wrong…" Gaël finally admitted, wiping the rain from his forehead with the back of his sleeve.
He turned his gaze back to the towering wall, taking a deep breath.
"Alright, let's find another way up. We have an offering to deliver, and I intend to hand it over personally."
Kaëlan nodded, his eyes glinting mischievously.
"As long as we don't end up as dinner for some altered, I'm with you!"
They followed the massive wall of Kernéval, their footsteps sinking into the muddy ground. The cold stone loomed beside them, smooth and unyielding, offering no handholds or cracks to exploit. The dark granite swallowed the moonlight, blending seamlessly into the shadows of the nearby trees.
They searched desperately for a solution.
A tree close enough to act as a bridge. A flaw in the wall. Anything.
But there was nothing. The fortifications were perfectly built in their stark simplicity.
Time stretched on, the cold seeping through their soaked clothes, biting at their skin. Fatigue weighed on their legs, but they pressed forward.
Finally, the first pale light of dawn spread across the horizon, casting a dull glow over the land. The night's curfew was ending, and in the distance, the great gates of Kernéval groaned as they slowly opened to welcome the first arrivals.
Gaël and Kaëlan came to a halt, their expressions grim. They had no choice.
They would have to enter through the main gate like two idiots who had spent the night outside, blatantly violating the city's laws.
They approached the entrance, trying to appear nonchalant, but the guards stationed there immediately took notice. Two mud-streaked figures, bruised and visibly exhausted, returning from what no one could reasonably call a midnight stroll.
The guards were towering figures, their weathered faces hardened by years of exposure to the elements. Their sharp, watchful eyes spoke of a long habit of spotting trouble before it started. Their studded leather armor was reinforced with metal plates, and each carried a halberd nearly heigt feet long, more than enough to deter anyone foolish enough to challenge them. Infused with Lumen by a radiance keeper, the blades emitted a soft, golden glow, their light pulsing subtly in rhythm with their wielders' heartbeats.
Only those blessed by the Lumen could wield such weapons, and Gaël cast a longing glance at them, a slight pang in his chest.
At their belts hung a Lutech revolver, a relic of a bygone era, a vestige of a past civilization, yet refined by modern Lutech engineering. Despite its age, the weapon was impeccably maintained. Unlike weapons infused with Lumen, this particular Lutech firearm could be wielded by anyone. Its Lutech core allowed it to harness and reinforce itself through Lumen energy, without depending on the strength of its wielder.
'Maybe one day, I'll have one at my belt!' Gaël thought, excitement flickering in his mind. 'That would be amazing!'
One of the guards, a towering man with a grizzled beard, narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized the two guys.
"Well, well… Lovely night, wasn't it?" he drawled, his deep, slightly raspy voice carrying through the crisp morning air.
Kaëlan, ever the showman, bowed slightly, a faux-serious expression on his face.
"Exquisite! Not a drop of rain… Well, almost. Quite the refreshing stroll, I must say!"
Gaël sighed inwardly, bracing for the inevitable.
The guard's brow furrowed as his gaze lingered on their tattered clothes and the dried blood staining their sleeves. He studied them for a long moment before crossing his arms.
"I should drag you both back home… by the ears, if necessary." He shook his head slowly. "You'd have to be either very reckless… or very stupid to wander outside at night. I hope the radiance keeper gives you both a proper beating to knock some sense into that thick skull of yours!"
The other guard, a lean but athletic man, raised an amused eyebrow and placed a hand on the older guard's shoulder.
"Go easy on them, Ronan. They made it back in one piece… that's an achievement in itself."
Ronan let out a gruff chuckle, shaking his head again.
"Achievement or not, breaking the rules means facing the consequences. No one leaves the city at night when they're still just kids!"
Kaëlan, bristling, immediately shot back:
"We're almost sixteen! We're not kids!"
Ronan burst into laughter, his eyes twinkling with mockery.
"Until you're old enough to drink a proper pint, you're still kids. End of discussion." He gestured for them to follow. "Now, get moving."
He turned to his companion.
"I'll take care of this, Loïc. Won't be long."
The younger guard nodded, offering the boys a final smirk before returning to his post.
Ronan gave Gaël and Kaëlan a firm push toward the city, his tone still stern but laced with something almost… paternal.
Behind them, the heavy gates groaned shut, marking their definitive return to Kernéval. Despite the situation, Gaël felt a deep sense of relief as he stepped back into the safety of the stone walls.
The cobbled streets were still empty, bathed only in the soft, cold light of morning. The air carried the scent of damp grass and wet wood, a familiar fragrance in this city shaped by the ocean winds.
In the distance, laughing gulls filled the air with their morning calls, their cries echoing between the walls. A few Lumen-touched seagulls, perched atop slate rooftops, observed the scene in silence, faint white sparks flickering along their wings.
The granite houses, old and sturdy, stood in an uneven pattern, forming a maze of winding streets. The slightly curved tile roofs nearly touched in some places, creating narrow, twisting alleyways where one could easily get lost, unless they knew the city like the back of their hand.
Kernéval was divided into two distinct rings, each with its own character and purpose. The outer ring, the largest, was a patchwork of fields, workshops, partially buried Lutech factories, and modest farmhouses.
Except near the city gates, where houses stood tightly packed between towering military structures, most homes here were simpler, often surrounded by small gardens or covered in ivy climbing up their stone walls. Life flowed slowly in this part of the city, paced by the ringing of bells, the hum of workshops, and the whisper of leaves in the nearby fields.
Closer to the heart of the city, separated from the outer ring by a more modest wall, stood the inner ring, home to Kernéval's symbols of power and tradition. The town hall, the main garrison, the Luminic school, the Lutech gate, the grand Luminic lighthouse, and the mansions of the most noble and respected families dominated the skyline, their refined architecture standing in sharp contrast. The streets here were well-maintained, paved with wide stone slabs, and the air itself felt different, more structured, more ceremonial.
At its very center stood the blessed stone circle, a sacred site whose radiance extended its protection against corruption over the entire city.
But Gaël and Kaëlan did not belong to this world. Born to a soldier and an artisan, they lived in the outer ring, near the southern gate, where the cliffs plunged sharply into the restless sea.
Before long, they reached the house of light, a simple yet imposing structure, its stained-glass windows casting gold and blue reflections onto the street. Ronan pushed open the heavy wooden doors, revealing a hall bathed in warm, soothing light, then turned to face them.
"Wait here." His voice was firm, brooking no argument. "Someone will deal with you."
The doors slammed shut behind them like a judge's gavel.
Gaël and Kaëlan stood alone in the vast chamber, beams of light from the stained glass dancing across the stone walls.
Kaëlan, ever irreverent, smirked.
"So… think they'll just scold us? Or are we looking at forced fasting?"
Gaël shrugged.
"Doesn't matter. As long as they don't take the offering."
Before Kaëlan could respond, soft footsteps echoed across the hall.
A robed figure approached, a woman clad in white, embroidered with golden sigils.
Gaël's heart pounded.
The radiance keeper, a woman with sharp eyes and features hardened by years of service, looked down at them. Like all guardians, her eyes shimmered with flecks of gold.
"Would you care to explain yourselves, young fools?", she asked, her brows knitting slightly.
Her voice was firm, almost melodic, yet beneath it lay a tension, an expectation of truth, one she seemed ready to extract by force if necessary.
"..."
Gaël opened his mouth to respond, but before he could utter a single word, a sharp, blaring signal rang out. The deep, resonant sound made the walls tremble, and a heavy impact rumbled through the ground beneath their feet.